Violence surges in south Afghanistan

Aid work hindered in area beyond Kabul's control

February 16, 2003|By Vanessa Gezari, Special to the Tribune.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Late last month, 10 masked gunmen ambushed an international aid group's car on a road north of here. The attackers fired at the vehicle, shattering the windshield, and robbed the aid workers before sending them on their way.

A few days later, leaflets appeared tacked to walls and mosques across Kandahar, the former spiritual capital of the Taliban regime, ordering residents not to cooperate with the country's "infidel government."

"Any Afghan who opposes jihad will face the same punishment as the Americans and their slaves," the leaflets warned.

Then came the bombs and land mines. A homemade explosive intended for a local Afghan commander was found by his children, killing one and injuring several others. The next day, a mini-bus hit an anti-tank mine on a bridge outside Kandahar, killing at least eight passengers. A car belonging to an international demining group and an Afghan security forces vehicle were blown up by land mines, killing two soldiers.

Months-long calm broken

After months of relative calm, a steep rise in violence and lawlessness in southern Afghanistan is threatening aid work and frightening Afghans loyal to the new government, which has not established control over much of the region.

The bombings, carjackings and attacks on Afghan and Western security forces coincide with reports that Al Qaeda and Taliban combatants are massing along the Afghan-Pakistani border in preparation for fresh attacks against U.S. and coalition forces.

Many believe the violence is linked to recent fighting in the south. Beginning late last month, U.S. and coalition forces bombarded a network of mountain caves east of Kandahar where up to 80 militants were hiding, killing at least 18. The fighters were believed to be loyal to former Afghan Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who is allied with Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Last week, U.S. commandos called in air strikes after they were ambushed in a valley west of Kandahar. About 25 armed men were seen moving through the Baghran Valley in northern Helmand province Monday, and over the next several days U.S. warplanes dropped 20 1-ton bombs and at least 15 people were detained, military officials said.

"In the last couple of weeks, this has become one of the most violent places in the country," a Western security official said.

Western aid workers say the security situation in Kandahar is worse than it has been at any time since the 2001 ouster of the Taliban regime, which had its firmest support base in and around Kandahar. The violence and banditry have forced many non-governmental organizations to curtail operations, avoiding remote rural areas, where the need for aid is greatest.

"We feel [the security situation] is still deteriorating," said Diane Johnson, southern Afghanistan program and operations director for Mercy Corps, which has more than 400 Afghan and international staff members in the south. "There are local power struggles, crime, coalition raids--and it's all happening at once. It's just lawlessness, but it's not supposed to be happening. There's a government."

Concerns about U.S.-Iraq war

Aid workers said they expect violence to surge if the U.S. attacks Iraq and that stepped-up attacks could trigger a more substantial withdrawal.

One of the boldest attacks occurred Jan. 29, when someone lobbed half a pound of TNT into the compound of the French aid group Action Against Hunger in Kandahar, blowing out windows on three sides of the building. No one was hurt.

Olivier Franchi, southern Afghanistan program coordinator for Action Against Hunger, said the group had withdrawn staff from rural areas but was not contemplating evacuation.

"We're going to stay in Kandahar as long as possible," he said. "To leave now would create a kind of panic, and it would be a strong sign of instability. We don't want to give that signal."

Gen. Mohammad Akram Khakrizwal, security commander for Kandahar, played down the threat to international aid groups, saying he had offered to provide Action Against Hunger with armed security guards. But Franchi said his organization would not accept armed guards because of its strict no-weapons policy.

"Being accepted is the basis for us to work here," Franchi said. "If we think we're not safe, we'll go. We will not feel safer with people with weapons outside."

The violence and threats have not been solely against Westerners. Most of the recent victims in and around Kandahar have been Afghan civilians, government workers and security personnel.

Last weekend, two Afghan check posts near the Pakistani border were attacked. At least five Afghan guards were killed, and two people were kidnapped, Khakrizwal said.

He and other Afghan officials blamed the security problems on Pakistan, which they accused of harboring Taliban and Al Qaeda members.

"Any problems in the future will come from near the borders," Khakrizwal said.